HELP!
Noticing a problem I seem to have.. ladies you may know what I mean..
Just before that time of the month I get real hungry, I crave fatty foods and chocolate so I sometimes give in. The problem is for 2 weeks in a month I can be disciplined and work real hard and then my hormones shift and I get real tired and just need to eat - my brain says eat protein but my body says no eat peanut butter and chocolate. The yo-yoing has me losing weight for 2 weeks, then piling it back on when my cycle kicks in or just before. I know our hormones make us hold more water during that time etc but with my diet going wrong for a good week I know that is adding to blurring my definition..
It’s getting to me because I see gains and then they disappear, maybe I’m looking too hard, my man says I look the same but I’m not sure.
What I want is to be able to maintain an eating plan through my cycle so it doesn’t mess up my energy or make me over-indulge when my body gets tired. Is it a mum thing, a woman thing or that I just work so hard that my body is screaming for nutrients so I burn out??? Or, all three…HELP!
April 12, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Girl, you really need to look into Michelle Berger’s Hormonal Timing. she’s got some great articles on this site. It made SUCH a huge difference for me learning to work with my hormones instead of against them.
April 12, 2009 at 2:54 pm
I get the same way and the past 2 weeks have been rough.
BUT, I found that when I increased my protein intake over the past couple of months, my appetite has been under control. I don’t know why the past two weeks have been different for me though.
Try to eat more of your favorite clean foods when you’re feeling super hungry. This way you’re not ruining your diet, but you are appeasing that appetite as well.
April 12, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Here’s what I do for my chocolate fix during that TOM…I mix one pack of premelted unsweetened baking chocolate with protein powder of your choice (I use ON Banana Cream) with a pack of sweetener. Mix em together, add abit of water so that it comes together, not watery, though. Freeze if you want to. Takes care of the craving.
April 12, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Other than that, I’ve found keeping my carbs peri-workout helps. As your BF% goes down, it messes with your hormones, so upping your fat intake during that time also helps…Hope that helps.
April 12, 2009 at 9:01 pm
Ok. A man’s 2 cents. Chocolate as we know affect hormones or at least neurotransmitters, the main ingredient being phenylethylamine, the feel good chemical in chocolate other than the caffeine. So, to get the chocolate effect, maybe you could take some skim milk, add unsweetened chocolate powder, and sweeten it with stevia (non-glycemic/insulin inducing sweetener). I am assuming that you mean chocolate bars (or something like it) when you say chocolate which are loaded with fat, as you know. So with this little recipe you get the quasi-sweet plus the chocolate effect, and a little tiny bit of fat that comes with the chocolate qua chocolate, and the milk. Who knows maybe its worth a shot just to kick the craving….